Sad news to report today, with Fernando Alonso announcing that he and his wife, Spanish pop star Raquel del Rosario, have divorced after a five-year marriage.

The two-time World Champion met the El Sueño de Morfeo singer in the early days of his Formula 1 career, and they married in November 2006. Del Rosario was an infrequent visitor to the F1 paddock during the in-season.

“After five years of marriage, we have decided to end our relationship as a couple,” a jointly-issued statement from the pair reads.

“This has been a very though about and mutual decision. We are separating from marriage, but never as friends, and there is still a very strong affection and mutual admiration to ensure the happiness of the other.

“With this statement, addressed to all who follow our careers, we wish to bring an end to any speculation. With it, we ask that the media respects our personal lives which, as you know, we have always been keen to protect.”

The pair had previously been the subject of speculation over their marriage in 2009, when the Spanish Antena 3 news station reported that the pair had separated. After a protracted legal dispute where he sued the network for slander, Alonso won €73,000 in damages by a Spanish court earlier this year. He donated his proceedings to UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.